The Wahlbergs Serve Up a Dorchester Homecoming

The Wahlbergs are coming full circle, as they prepare to open their latest Wahlburgers location in the neighborhood that raised them: Dorchester. Members of the famous OFD fam — including brothers Mark, Donnie, Paul and matriarch Alma — marked the homecoming with a sneak-peek, VIP party Monday night, before the burger joint opens to the public.

“It’s very easy to get emotional on a day like today, if we really take a moment to think back through our lives and all we’ve been through,” a teary-eyed Donnie said on the South Bay Center red carpet. “It’s heavy. We’ve been through a lot and come through a lot. We’re very blessed.”

“If anything,” he continued, “this restaurant could just be a sign for kids from our neighborhood that if you just put your mind to it and never give up, you can find your way to some pretty cool stuff.”

Above Photo By Christopher Evans/Boston Herald

Mark, whose filming of “Wonderland” wraps in town today, chimed in to clarify that, unlike his brother, he was able to hold it together.

“(Donnie) is getting emotional, but I’m good right here,” Mark told the Track, adding that he was more excited than anything, especially when he saw so many familiar faces enjoying the exclusive gathering through the windows of the restaurant.

Additionally, Mark was particularly proud of the restaurant’s spot in the Dot — regardless of how drastically it has changed since the good old days when they used to play street hockey there as kids.

“We always wanted to be right here, and it’s walking distance to our house,” Mark said, reflecting on the past when “there was nothing here. We had Howard Johnson’s and that was pretty much it.”

“A lot of vision has gone into it, and there are some pretty talented people here,” he added of the area’s redevelopment. “You know, I went to Hollywood just to figure out most of the talented people are right in the neck of the woods where I grew up.”